Providing wet systems for renovations can prove to be prohibitively costly as the floor needs to be excavated to a minimum depth to fit all the pipes and insulation. The typical install would require the floor to be excavated to a certain depth and then an initial screed put down, placed on this is a barrier layer then the insulation which takes the PEX tubing. Once this is done then a further screed is laid down and the final tiles laid. All this requires at least the following combined depth:

Wet underfloor heating is by far the most efficient to run - especially when combined with a renewable energy source such as a heat exchanger or solar panels.

If your electric underfloor heating is running at full (which it will until it reaches the desired temperature and then it typically runs at 40%) it will consume about 0.15KW per hour per m2 for your surface area.

For instance to heat about 200m2 would take approximately 30KW at a worst case.

The EDP in the Algarve charge about 0.12 cents per kw and 200m2 on full capacity will cost you around €3.6 per hour. This means your energy bills could top €1000 per month (this does depend on the thermal efficiency of the house, when you put the UFH on etc). ...so your return on investment for the wet UFH can be within 1-2 years.

Many people assume that home cooling is more important than heating in the Algarve. Whilst air conditioning is often a necessity for many Algarve homes in summer, in fact the contrary can also be argued, i.e. a home will always need heating in winter, no matter how well-insulated it is. Indeed, with some innovatory modern homes, cooling is not always essential. The 'Coolhouse' at Alma Verde near Lagos is an example of clever construction where cooling is provided by a passive ground system and heating by an efficient gas boiler.